


Monochromatic

by IWillScreamIntoTheAbyss



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, Soulmate AU, as in the world is black and white until you meet your soulmate and then theres colour, theres others people but those two are the most important tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillScreamIntoTheAbyss/pseuds/IWillScreamIntoTheAbyss
Summary: The world is black, white and everything in between for those who haven’t met their soulmate.For only the touch of a soulmate can bring colour to one’s world.





	1. Purple

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea on my walk home from school the other day and it's the only thing ive been about to think about all weekend so here we go. Part 2, Brighid'd part, should be up tomorrow.

Mòrag’s alarm woke up her up as it did every day. She’d grown so used to the noise it made she’d had to change it a few times. She rolled out of bed and made her way to the kitchen down the hall, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. 

After starting some toast, she removed the blanket from the top of Finch’s cage and she was greeted with happy chirps. She pecked at the bars of the cage and Mòrag smiled. 

She went back to her toast and turned on the radio. There was nothing special on the news today, which was good. She sat at the table with her toast, listening to the radio and the chirps coming from Finch. 

Apparently, Finch had beautiful green feathers and some yellow around her neck. To Mòrag, Finch was grey and then a little darker grey. She still loved her bird though. She might be a little stupid, but she was her stupid bird. 

As with many others in her situation, she mostly wore black, white or differing shades of grey. She didn’t want to be a fashion disaster and end up wearing purple and yellow in one outfit. She wasn’t even sure if she owned anything that was yellow, now that she thought about it. 

She washed her plate after she was done. She continued on with her morning routine, brushing her teeth before untangling her mess of black hair and tying it into a bun. She went to her room before changing into her clothes. Today, it would be a black button up shirt over a red undershirt. She was pretty sure it was red, anyway. Not that it mattered since it was an undershirt. She put on some pants and made sure she had everything in her duffel bag. 

She didn’t like wearing her uniform on the way to work, so she compromised by packing it in a bag and changing at work. She double checked everything to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Before leaving, she changed Finch’s water and food and wished her a good day. 

She headed out, the warm wind from Alba Cavanich blowing. She walked to the nearest subway station, listening to music. Even this early, the city was already alive with half asleep commuters or coffee shop workers on the tail end or start of their shifts. Her own coffee in hand, she went down the stairs and into the station. 

On the waiting track, she spotted the same people as usual. Routine was a comfortable thing to fall into. It lulled the senses into familiarity and made one lower their defences. As some pop song played into her ears, she looked at all the faces, trying to figure out what was going through their minds. 

Some were waiting, sleeping on their feet for the next train, that, according to the screen, would be here in 3 minutes. Others were wide awake, likely on their second or even third cup of coffee. She took a sip of her own, noticing it tasted better than usual. 

She felt her phone buzz and checked it. It was a text from her mother who wanted to come down to her apartment to visit. She answered, saying she had off work sunday and monday. Right as she sent the message off, the train came into the station. She stepped on and managed to secure a seat. 

She let her mind wander during the ride. There was a couple sitting a few seats away, talking about something and laughing. She felt a pang of loneliness. 

Whenever someone met their soulmate, the world came to life with colour. She’d read and heard thousands upon thousands of stories of it being some kind of miracle. Her own mother had recounted the day many times. It had been a regular day, she’d reached to shake his hand and then colour had spread all over the world that had once been monochromatic. She’d laughed at him since he’d been wearing a bright yellow suit and a purple tie. 

Maybe one day, she would meet someone and the world would become awash in colour and she’d finally understand what everyone was talking about. For now though, it was just a moment described in romance novels. She hoped her soulmate was a woman, but she knew she didn’t have a say in the matter. 

She yawned and took another sip of her coffee. It really was good today. She hoped it was a good sign. She also hoped that today wouldn’t be a complete garbage fire. It had a tendency to be this time of year. 

She got to work at the same time as usual, the security guard waving her through with a smile. She waved back. 

She headed to the employee only dress room, where she changed into her uniform. Gorg was there already and he helped her put on her vest even if she didn’t need the help. She helped him too. 

“Did you manage to bake in the end last night?” she asked as she secured her cap to her head. 

“Yup!” he replied, flashing her a grin. “I brought some, you can have some dessert later.”

“Can’t wait,” she replied. She always looked forward to Gorg’s treats. 

Work as an airport customs agent wasn’t all as exciting as it was painted to be on television dramas. Sure, a few interesting people would pass through once in a while, but most people were cooperative and not in the mood to start a fight after having been on a flight for multiple hours. She didn’t let her guard down, though. If anything slipped passed, it would be her fault. 

She and her other coworkers were keeping count of the weirdest people they’d had pass through. Her winner today was a Tantalese man who claimed he’d meet his soulmate here, since he’d touched her hair and his world had lit up, but only for a second. It was a pretty regular occurrence, but this guy had really been out there. His eyepatch and pet turtle had been what had made the most ridiculous client of the day. Close second was a goth woman going on about clairvoyance. It had been creepy as hell, but aside from that there was nothing unusual about her baggage.

Then there was, of course, the people who called her “sir”. It didn’t bother her as much as it once did, but it still did. She couldn’t be that masculine. 

She shrugged it off. The middle of a shift really wasn’t the time to be having an existential crisis. 

When lunch came, she went over to the food court of the airport. The staff at almost every restaurant knew her well by this point and knew what she ordered. She decided on a sandwich today. She went back to the break room. When the inevitable tourist asking for directions asked her over thinking she was a boarding agent asked her for directions, she did the best she could. 

Once in the safety of the break room, she sat down and started eating. Some others would join her during the course of the hour and they’d compare their lines of people. There were cheers when Gorg took out his desserts from their hiding spot in the communal fridge. 

Mòrag was pretty sure she’d never had desserts that were this good. Godfrey dramatically declared these were the best cookies in the universe. Perceval seconded that notion, much to her surprise. Afterwards, Newt tried to organise a game of cards against humanity that evening. Mòrag was down for it since she didn’t have anything better to do.

The afternoon was normal, all things considered. Her shift ended at the usual time. She changed back into civilian clothes before leaving. She waved the security guard goodbye, wishing him a good weekend. 

She stopped by the mall on her way home. Her little brother’s birthday was coming up and she wanted to get him something. She eventually settled on a video game he’d been looking forward too after checking with her parents to make sure they hadn’t gotten it for him. She also got some bird feed for Finch.

She started heading toward the terminus. Out of habit more than anything else, she scanned the crowd. It all blended together because of the lack of colour, but she’d learnt to work with it. 

She made her way through the growing crowd, trying not to bump into anyone. Fortunately for her, the universe had other plans and she bumped into someone passing by. 

They dropped their phone and immediately she bent down to pick it up and apologise, praying the screen hadn’t cracked. She paused right as she went to take the phone. It was face down, leaving her to see the case. 

It was pink. Not some shade of grey she’d come to recognise as pink. It was actually pink.

She blinked. 

It was still pink. 

Oh my god.

A hand reached over hers, soft against her calloused one with purple nail polish. 

Mòrag looked up. The woman’s eyes were purple. 

Purple and absolutely beautiful, just like the woman. 

The woman who was her soulmate. 

While the world was now full of colour, she couldn’t look away. 

Her heart fluttered, but she managed to speak. “My name is Mòrag. What’s yours?”

“My name is Brighid,” she replied, her voice just as beautiful as the rest of her. “It’s nice to meet you, Mòrag.”


	2. Brown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the fashion industry, it’s rare to see those who haven’t yet met their soulmate. Those who haven’t are easily recognisable; they only work in black and white.   
> Brighid refuses to limit herself to two colours even if she hasn’t received the gift of colour. She can make a name for herself with or without a soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's part 2!

Brighid was woken up by her cat. Poppi loved licking her face first thing in the morning. She laughed and pet her, giving her the attention she wanted. After a good twenty minutes of happy purring, she managed to pull herself away and to start making breakfast. 

She wasn’t in the mood for anything particularly fancy, so she just made eggs. While they cooked, she checked her phone. She’d gotten a few dozen texts overnight. Did her boss ever sleep? Apparently not. 

Today would be busy. She sighed. It seemed everyday was a busy one these days. 

Poppi pulled her out of her reverie. She wanted food. Now. Brighid gave her a few more head scritches before giving her some wet food. She purred even louder.

She checked her handbag to make sure Poppi hadn’t stolen anything from it like she tended to do. 

She changed out of her pyjamas, deciding to wear something comfortable but still fashionable. The weather channel announced warmth once again, so she put on a light blue sundress. She might not be able to see colours, but she’d taught herself what the differing shades of grey were. She put her hair in buns and applied some light makeup. She finished her look with some white heels and a sunhat. 

After giving more attention to Poppi, she left her apartment. 

This early in the morning, the city of Alba Cavanich was still sleepy. She walked to the nearest coffee shop and got something for both herself and her boss. She would pay her back. The shop was within walking distance to the workshop, so she got there quickly. 

Her boss was already hard at work, either having not slept at all or gotten very little sleep. 

“I damn love you,” Lora said. “Haze will be back with lunch later, but we’re going to have to get some fabric this morning.”

“Fine by me,” Brighid said. 

She started working on the pant she’d started last night. She’d probably have time to finish it before they left, which would be whenever Lora finished her coffee. 

About half an hour later, the two set out for the nearest fabric store in Lora’s car. They didn’t talk much during these visits to the store usually, but Lora was particularly chatty today. It was about soulmates. She’d heard the story of how she and Haze had met a few times before. It had been at a convention if she remembered correctly. 

“I didn’t need Haze to know my colours,” Lora said as they browsed the rows of coloured fabrics. “I taught myself the shades and relied on some friends who’d already met theirs to make sure I had my colours right. Of course, it’s rare to see someone who hasn’t met their soulmate in the fashion industry, but we exist and we still make darn good work.”

Brighid nodded. She knew that. Able to see colour or no, she could still make unique and new designs. She found the colour Lora had been working for before Lora herself did. 

With what they needed, they headed back to the workshop. 

They got back to work, quietly working on their projects while music played on the radio. Brighid hummed along to some pop song that had become popular recently. She managed to not injure herself while hand sewing the hem of a dress. She had too many bandages on her fingers already, she didn’t need any more of them. It was Lora who pricked herself today. 

Haze called for a break when she arrived with lunch. They talked as they ate. Brighid talked about the troubles Poppi had been getting into while Lora and Haze talked about their plans for the weekend. They’d be going to a retreat type place with Haze. 

She found herself hoping that if she ever met her soulmate, it would be a woman. They appealed to her far more than men did, but she was sure she’d learn to love them eventually. Or hit it off immediately, as story books and television shows tended to do. 

They returned to their work after lunch, once again falling into the routine of listening to radio and singing along to any song they more or less knew the lyrics to. 

When the afternoon came to a close, Lora told Brighid she could leave and head home. She ran into Haze when she left the workshop. 

While she could simply walk home and have dinner there, she had a few errands to run at the mall. Not wanting to make multiple trips, she took the bus there. 

In crowded areas, she would often bump into people or brush her hands against people on purpose. Why wait for something to happen out of luck when she could maybe force the hands of fate?

She briefly checked her phone as she walked, seeing she’d gotten some texts from a friend. She looked up briefly to see a woman walking toward her, clearly zoned out and not paying attention to her surroundings. With a little smile, Brighid changed her course. 

They both turned around and apologised, but the world stayed grey. Damn it. 

She kept walking, replying to the texts. 

She felt someone bump into her and dropped her phone. 

As she turned to pick it up, the world came to life. The crowd was suddenly colourful and she looked down to see the person that had bumped into her. 

Black hair tied into a bun, along with black shirt and pants. She seemed to take the safe approach to not having met a soulmate. 

Brighid knelt down to collect her phone. The woman had frozen, staring at the case of her phone. 

She looked up, letting Brighid see her brown eyes. She’s always been told brown was a bland and boring colour, but they were the prettiest eyes she’d ever seen. They were darker around the edges and gradually became lighter around the center. 

“My name is Mòrag,” the woman said. “What’s yours?”

It took a second for her brain to start working again. She couldn’t mess this up and ruin her first impression. 

“My name is Brighid, it’s nice to meet you, Mòrag.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe one day, I'll continue this as a series. Maybe.


End file.
